1. Field of the Invention
This invention involves novel immunoproximity catalysts. The catalysts are derived from antibody molecules. The process includes selecting a hapten based on its relationship to a structure of a transition state complex of the selected reaction so that the hapten, upon attachment to a carrier protein and injection (with or without adjuvant) into an animal, elicits an immune response in which the desired antibody is produced. This antibody is modified by the specific, covalent attachment of the catalytic group involved in the selected reaction, yielding an immunoproximity catalyst which is a substrate-specific, antibody catalyst.
Catalysts are widely used in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and food processing industries. There is a continuing demand for new and/or improved catalysts. Improvements in specificity, selectivity, rate enhancement, and stability are desirable. Among known catalysts, enzymes--naturally occurring amino acid or RNA polymers--excel in terms of their ability to generate the highest possible reaction rates while maintaining high specificity. Simpler catalysts--based on organics or metals, for instance lack the specificity of enzymes but are often very stable. These simpler catalysts generally lack the stereo- and regiochemical control of reactions inherent in enzymes.
The success of enzymes as catalysts is attributed to their ability to fold (i.e. assume a spatial structure) so as to create specific binding pockets for the reactant and to place catalytically active groups in this pocket in close proximity to the scissle bond. These pockets are referred to as active sites.
A major obstacle to creating new enzymes--specific for a predetermined reactant and able to catalyze the desired reaction--is the rudimentary understanding of how proteins fold to form active sites. Minor alterations to an enzyme (and its catalytic properties) are possible via site directed mutagenesis. However, substitution of a single amino acid for another in a protein sequence can affect the folding and/or function of the molecule in large and unpredictable ways.